In 1974, he joined
Shintaro Katsu's production company and made his debut with the television series
Zatoichi as a guest. He also played a similar role in
Kamen Rider OOO Wonderful. Other noteworthy roles include
Hōjō Yoshitoki in the 1979
NHK series
Kusa Moeru, Irobe Matashiro in the 1999 NHK series
Genroku Ryoran (involving the chushingura, that is, the story of the
Forty-seven rōnin),
Shibata Katsuie in the 2002 NHK series
Toshiie to Matsu,
Ōtomo Sōrin in the 2004 NHK special
Ōtomo Sōrin—Kokoro no Ōkoku wo Motomete, and
Ōishi Kuranosuke in the 2004
TV Asahi series
Chushingura. He also played
Asano Takumi no Kami, an important (although brief) role, in an earlier chushingura, making a career of that story. In 2005, he appeared as
Benkei in
Yoshitsune, the yearlong NHK
Taiga drama. TV Asahi tapped Matsudaira to star as
Tōyama no Kin-san in the (2007) version of their program of the same name. He appeared in
Tokugawa Fūun-roku, the annual
jidaigeki spectacular which was shown on TV Tokyo on January 2, 2008.
Matsuken Samba Matsudaira is also famous as a singer. His most popular song "
Matsuken Samba II" (マツケンサンバII) was released in 2004 and became popular with his fanbase. The song gained national attention because his appearance in the likeness of a person in
Edo period with glittery
kimono and a hip-swiveling dance became the topic of some television programs, including parodying him on an idol group
SMAP's variety show,
SMAP×SMAP. The new attention of the media made Matsudaira visible to a younger fanbase. The song became a certified hit, staying on the
Oricon Top 100 chart for over a year. A version called featuring
Shu Watanabe (Eiji Hino/Kamen Rider OOO) and
Ryosuke Miura (Ankh/Shingo Izumi) was released on August 3, 2011, as an ending theme for the movie
Kamen Rider OOO Wonderful: The Shogun and the 21 Core Medals. ==Filmography==